Summary
Not so long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, the now legendary opening crawl to a movie that, at the time, was simply namedStar Wars, debuted across the globe. Since 1977, few bodies of fiction have had such an impact on so many people. By 1980, it was clear that the sheer volume ofStar Wars-related fiction that would be published over the coming decades would only grow.
By the start of the 1980s, video games were starting to become big business. And, of course, such a valuable franchise asStar Warswas a natural choice for a video game setting. Some of theseStar Warsgameswere great, some not so great, and some of them told a story so well, that they melded into the increasing body ofStar Warscanon, seamlessly.
At the time of its release,Star Wars: The Old Republicwas the video game with the highest development budget, ever. Much of this budget went into creating thousands of hours of fully voice-acted in-game video. Each of the 8 classes in the game has aclass storythat takes over 50 hours to complete. On top of this is the shared and extra content, adding another couple of hundred hours. These are not simply fetch quests, these are integral parts of theSWTORstory, that are often more like an interactive movie.
The storytelling inSWTORis nothing short of exceptional, and the Knights of the Fallen Empire expansion elevates the potential for individual stories in this large galaxy with countless NPCs and players. Wiping the slate almost clean, the player is dumped into a completely new adventure, in a galaxy far, far away. So far away that they are on their own, without their allies, companions, ship, or crew (at least initially). This expansion in particular has players face off against a familiar once-defeated Sith in an engaging battle of Light and Dark.
5Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Battle A Dangerous Cult As A Jedi Padawan
The setting forJedi Academyis 10 years after the events ofReturn of the Jedi. The player can create their own protagonist named Jaden Korr, a Jedi Padawan on their way to Yavin 4 to enroll at the Jedi Academy.
Following a series of introductory missions, the player is summonedback to the Jedi Templeby Luke Skywalker. Luke tells them about the Disciples of Ragnos, a Sith cult. A member of this cult, Alora, has managed to break into the Jedi Temple and steal Luke’s journal. What follows is an epic adventure in trueStar Warsstyle, as the player attempts to track down and deal with the Disciples of Ragnos.
Kyle Katarn’s Story Has Him Battle New Enemies, And Meet Old Friends
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
The Legacy of Star Wars Dark Forces™ and Star Wars® Jedi Knight lives on in the intense first-person action of Jedi Outcast. Several years have passed since Kyle Katarn avenged his father’s death and saved the Valley of the Jedi from Jerec and his band of Dark Jedi.Allowing his Force powers to languish for fear of falling to the Dark side, Kyle set aside his lightsaber, vowing never to use it again. But when a new and menacing threat to the galaxy emerges, Kyle knows he must reclaim his past in order to save his future.Players assume the role of Kyle as they employ a unique mix of weapons, Force powers and your lightsaber in both single- and multiplayer modes of first-person action. As Kyle Katarn, agent of the New Republic, use your Lightsaber and the full power of the Force to combat a new evil plaguing the galaxy.Wield over 8 Force abilities including the Jedi Mind Trick, Force Lightning and Force Grip. Choose wisely from an arsenal of 13 weapons including disruptor rifle, thermal detonators, trip mines and Wookiee bowcaster.Play on-line with 2 - 32 players or against a variety of AI Bots - and gain an additional 7 Force powers. Test your skills in 24 single-player missions and in 6 different types of multiplayer games including Jedi Master, Holocron, Capture the Ysalamiri, Duel, Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. Interact with legendary Star Wars characters such as Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian (featuring the voice of Billy Dee Williams as Lando.)Developed by critically acclaimed Raven Studios and powered by the Quake III Arena engine.
Jedi Outcastis set two years before Jedi Academy, in 12 ABY. The game opens withKyle Katarnand Jan Ors on Kejin, investigating an abandoned Imperial outpost. During their investigations, they uncover a facility for creating artificial lightsaber crystals. The pair follow a lead to a mining colony, where Jan is captured. Kyle, cannot rescue her, as he had previously given up his Jedi powers. A trip to the Valley of the Jedi restores Kyle’s powers, and the story hits its stride.
What follows is a veritable tour de force of iconic Jedi locations and well-knownStar Warscharacters, as Kyle stumbles his way toward rescuing Jan. The player will encounter Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Reelo Baruk, and, of course, the Sith Lord Desann. So much happens in theJedi Outcaststory that it is impossible to give a decent, short synopsis. It plays more like an interactive movie at times.
Republic Commandooffers a different view of theStar Warsuniverse, from the eyes of a squad of Clone Troopers, created and trained on Kamino at the start of the Clone Wars. The game begins by giving a background of the training of Delta Squad, its involvement in the Battle of Geonosis, and subsequent special missions Delta Squad is tasked with. Although theRepublic Commandostoryline is linear in nature, it doesn’t present the usual grandly heroic, almost impossible quest to complete, but manages it anyway style of storyline.
Instead, the player follows Delta Squad through a series of increasingly difficult missions, culminating in the Battle of Kashyyyk. It is impossible not to become attached to the members of Delta Squad, each of which has a unique personality. Overall, one of the bestStar Warsstories that doesn’t feature a Jedi protagonist.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Ordertakes place 5 years after Order 66 has been issued. The protagonist, Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis, is hiding on Bracca as a scrapper. When his Force powers are revealed, Cal becomes a target for the Empire and the dreaded Inquisitors, but unusual allies come to his aid. The main plot revolves around the player trying to unravel clues that will lead them to a hidden vault built by an ancient civilization, the Zeffo. Secured within this vault is a Jedi Holocron that contains details of many Force-sensitive children, which cannot be allowed to fall into Imperial hands.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s story is a welcome addition to theStar Warscanon with its reinforcement of the Inquisitors and the story of survivor’s guilt that is so present within Cal Kestis as he forges new strength with the Force he once abandoned. Players will come across emotional heights, and greater mysteries in a larger universe inStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic(KOTOR)is set around 4,000 years prior to the creation of the Galactic Empire. The Galactic Republic is still the major power, but constant wars against a Sith armada has left the Jedi scarce and few, all due to the rage and conquest of Darth Malak who seeks to heighten his power with ancient technology.
KOTORis aparty-based role-playing game, and this is part of what makes the storytelling so great. Each party member has their own role in the story. Some of the characters in the game have quirky, engaging personalities, such as HK-47. However, hands down the best aspect of the storytelling inKOTORis the plot twists, that most players will never see coming.
